


Loving the Journey Together

by Succession_of_Busy_Nothings



Series: Without Fail [6]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:14:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28928616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Succession_of_Busy_Nothings/pseuds/Succession_of_Busy_Nothings
Summary: Daisy and Daniel consider their future together.A short sequel to Without Fail, but can be read separately.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: Without Fail [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112435
Comments: 80
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy 🙂

The first time Daniel thought about marrying Daisy, it was entirely inappropriate. They weren't even on a first name basis. But it was just a passing thought, really.

Daniel was scanning the assembly in the bar for anything unusual… no, not unusual. _Everything_ in '73 was unusual to him. Out of place. He was keeping his eyes and ears out for anything out of place.

Sadly, the unsavory character settling uninvited at Agent Johnson's table wouldn't have been out of place in '55. Daniel would have liked to intervene, but he knew better. It might cost her the chance to learn intel from the creep. And he recalled a blistering lecture from Peggy about letting her handle misbehaving adolescents herself. He didn't like it, then or now, but at least he now understood it.

As Agent Johnson rose to make her getaway, the lowlife stood to block her path. Daniel knew he had to step in. He didn't doubt for a second that she could handle this guy herself (and he was certain he'd enjoy watching her do it). But Daniel recognized the guy's type, and he would make a scene when he didn't get his way. And that would draw unwanted attention.

Enter the possessive fiance. The only thing scumbags like him would respect readily enough was a prior claim. She wasn't wearing a ring to support the cover, but "boyfriend" didn't feel sufficient. "Fiance" sounded better.

Daniel swaggered over, matching the other man's bravado. "Hi, sweetheart. Who's your new friend?" He slipped his arm around her waist and fixed his opponent with a territorial stare.

As Agent Johnson introduced Gideon Malick, she picked up on his charade without missing a beat. The way she fit at his side and rested her hand on his chest felt surprisingly natural, and risked distracting his attention. "Gideon, this is - " 

"Her fiance," he filled in smoothly. "Honey, I think we need to go."

Daniel enjoyed their ploy, selling it by ignoring the introduction and turning all his attention on Johnson. She was absolutely stunning up close, and he wondered for the briefest moment what it would be like to be her real fiance.

It was a ridiculous thought, quickly dismissed. Still, the extra death glare he spared for Gideon as they passed was immensely satisfying.

****

The first time Daisy thought about marrying Daniel, it was downright weird.

She knew she was in trouble with Gideon when he matched her movement as she stood up from the table. He wasn't about to let her walk away without causing a ruckus. _Make ripples, not waves,_ she repeated Mack's command like a mantra. But how -

Sousa approached from behind, and addressed her as "sweetheart." _Ah, the boyfriend to the rescue_ , she recognized, leaning into his outstretched arm.

"This is Gideon Malick. Gideon, this is - " 

"Her fiance." 

_My… what?_ She glanced at him quickly, almost betraying her surprise, but she knew she couldn't miss her cue. She touched her hand to his chest and played the simpering… fiancee, apparently. Bad choice. She wasn't even wearing a ring. 

But what Daisy found particularly distracting was the way he stroked her back, just once. It was wholly unnecessary - Gideon probably couldn't even see it - and curiously comfortable.

_If Sousa_ were _my fiance, he would probably be all attentive and affectionate. Like - well, like this. Probably not actually the possessive type, thank God._

She let the mental image fade quickly. There was no time or reason for random fantasy that was only triggered because Sousa had to go and be a weirdo about their cover. Not even fantasy. Idle thought.

_Focus, Daisy._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to royalmilktea, for being a great beta!

The second time Daniel thought about marrying Daisy, he was fairly certain they weren't even going to live long enough for him to admit he was in love with her. So it was likely a moot point.

He was already on the Quinjet before he knew Daisy's plan. Not that it mattered. She was going; he was following. 

Well it mattered a little. It just wouldn't change his mind. Only their odds of survival.

"May says this ship can't travel far in space," Daniel said with no small amount of trepidation after boarding.

"It can't," Daisy admitted. She proceeded to explain the reasoning behind her plan as they settled into the cockpit, but failed to shed any light on the plan itself.

"Won't we use all the fuel getting out of the atmosphere?" He was already seated as he asked.

"Almost. We'll find Z1's location, we'll aim for it, we'll burn the rest of our fuel and float." She paused as she flipped several switches. "Yeah." It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than him.

"So, it's a 100,000 mile Hail Mary," he summed up. Well, it wasn't much of a plan, but it was a plan. And at least he didn't have to fly the ship. "As long as you know what you're doing." 

Daisy's silence was conspicuous. She wasn't usually one for not talking. "You have flown this thing before, right?" No response. "A few times?" One final shot at the dart board: " _A_ time?"

"It's your last chance to stay behind," she offered with a helpless, endearing smile.

Well _that_ wasn't going to happen. Daniel would follow her anywhere she'd let him go. Even if certain doom was waiting for them - which seemed to be on the menu today. 

He could think of a few places he'd _rather_ follow her. "To the altar" came to mind, as one example. If they made it through this. And if she'd let him. Someday. He wasn't sure which was the bigger "if."

But first things first. Daniel strapped himself in, ready for anything.

****

The second time Daisy thought about marrying Daniel, she still hadn't given any thought to how to get past his puppy-like devotion and jump into an actual relationship. There was just too much going on to sort through extraneous details like feelings.

For example, outthinking Sibyl was high on the list.

"Sibyl's whole plan is based on her projections," Daisy explained to Sousa as they marched onto the ship. "So the only way to get ahead is to act unpredictably. Do things against our nature - which for you…"

"Is leaving my post. And you?"

Daisy continued talking while she booted up the Quinjet's systems. "Sibyl dropped Kora in my lap because they knew I'd want to save her. The thing is - I already have a sister to save. Her name is Jemma Simmons."

With her resolve steeled, Daisy sat down and set about trying to work out how to fly the damn ship. But Sousa kept needling her with reasonable points like "Won't we use all the fuel getting out of the atmosphere?" and "As long as you know what you're doing." Which she absolutely did. In theory.

He pressed her on that last one, evidently realizing that she'd never actually flown a Quinjet before.

"It's your last chance to stay behind," she offered. She didn't really think he wanted off, but if he did, it had to be now.

Unsurprisingly, Sousa buckled up, signaling that he would be staying at her side to help. _Which you always do_ , "Without fail," she finished aloud. 

If her declaration carried the faintest whiff of "until death do us part," even though they weren't even really _together_ , it was only because the odds of surviving this mission were low.

Sousa didn't seem to notice any layers to her meaning at all. "What? You said you've done this zero times," he replied.

That was just as well. It was only a stray observation. Nothing more. At least Mack showed up to tip the odds slightly in favor of survival.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I like to try to stay a few chapters ahead, and the post-canon writing is slow going. But I've finally got another chapter in the can now, so I get to post a new chapter today, yay!

The next time Daniel thought about marrying Daisy, they weren't about to die, but there was still no future for them.

"In fact, no matter what the outcome, this will be the last time we're all in the same room together," the newly arrived Fitz finished explaining, "ever."

Somebody had to stay behind. Daniel looked down. However much he'd hoped for a future with Daisy, he wasn't even rightfully part of her present. And he couldn't let her lose anyone in her family. There was only one thing to do now.

"I'll stay," he announced resolutely. "I belong here. I've already been given the privilege of a second chance." He turned to clasp Deke's shoulder. "Of meeting all you fine people." Finally, he turned to Daisy. "It's only right."

Daniel took her hands in his. For an instant, he allowed himself to imagine what might have been - a career as her partner on death-defying missions, days spent taking her sass with a smile and dishing it back with delight, maybe even sharing their lives together. "Until death do us part" had a much better ring to it than "if only things were different."

_If the army taught me anything, it's that you can't be certain of tomorrow, not even that you'll actually get one. I've got one now, thanks to all of you. I wanted a tomorrow with you, but I'll be happy knowing you get to have your tomorrow with your family._

"If the army taught me anything, it's that - it's that you can't be - " Daniel was interrupted by… someone blowing a raspberry? _Really? Rude. We're having a moment here._

Deke cut over Daniel's explanation. "I'll stay."

"D," Daniel heard Mack say from further back in the crowd. It sounded like "no."

"First of all, I'm the one with the scientific knowledge to be able to repatch the power. Danny boy over here is still impressed by a lightbulb."

"That's not accurate or nice," Daniel objected tartly, even though there was some truth beneath the insult.

Deke addressed Daniel directly. "And second, it seems like you and Daisy have a real thing going, and I…" He looked at Daisy, "I just want you to be happy."

 _Ah_. A few things clicked for Daniel. He hadn't interacted with Agent Shaw much since joining the crew of the Zephyr. Shaw had been as attached to Simmons as Daniel had been to Daisy - although for very obviously different reasons. Still, the man managed to stop Daniel whenever he needed it: his rage at the team for taking him out of his time, his distraction with the Chronicom suicide bomb when they needed an exit strategy, and now, to keep him here with Daisy. When, it seemed, that both of them were in love with her.

Deke was a good man. And Daniel might get a future with Daisy, after all, because of that.

After that, there was very little time to think about anything other than the mission as their plan to defeat the Chronicoms unfolded. But after the Quinjet team fought their way into Control at the Lighthouse, Daniel found himself at a loose end for just a moment.

He could not, in fact, rewire the capacitors to network with the… backbone… what Fitz said. So there was nothing left to do to help except hope for the best while the Zephyr team completed their part of the mission.

"We were here. He said it would be the hardest thing we'd ever done," Simmons said, with a glimmer of new understanding in her voice.

Getting her memories back was another thing Daniel couldn't help with.

"We know," responded Agent Rodriguez. "They'll bang through the door soon enough."

Now that was something Daniel could help with. He took up a defensive position alongside Rodriguez, waiting for the Chronicoms' arrival. 

"Hopefully, not before our friends handle their part," she continued.

Daniel could hear the slight edge of anxiety in her voice. That was something he could help with, too - just a bit. He might not have known what her superpower was until a minute ago, but he'd noticed her solid relationship with Mack from the start. And Mack was one of the most capable agents he'd ever had the privilege to know. "Don't worry too much about Mack," he assured her.

"Don't worry too much about Daisy," she replied, raising her eyebrow pointedly. 

Well, at least the plan didn't involve Mack deliberately fighting to the death. It was impossible not to worry about what would happen after Daisy blew up the fleet.

"They're your everything," Jemma observed. "The stars in your skies."

Daniel could tell that his exchange with Rodriguez had sparked a vital memory. And it was nice that he could help with that, after all.

Still, he'd prefer it if Simmons didn't announce to the team that Daisy was a fixed and guiding point in his life before he'd even had a chance to tell her that he was in love with her. But at least the minor annoyance was a distraction from the fear burning in his stomach that she might not come back alive.

****

The next time Daisy thought about marrying Daniel, it was crowded in with thoughts of too many other things that might never happen. She couldn't sort through them all.

As Daisy rose from the floor opposite Nathaniel Malick, the vibration of footsteps on the catwalk caught her attention. She risked a look up as Malick gathered himself for the next attack, and saw Mack and Coulson pause at the railing. If they were here, they'd been successful - mission accomplished. They said something to each other that she couldn't hear, and turned to leave.

Daisy watched them retreat: two men she loved as family - Coulson, who'd offered her the support and guidance of a father, and Mack, who had her back like a brother. They were on their way off the ship, walking into a future that might not include her.

The sight of their backs was an enormous relief. She hadn't been completely sure they'd actually walk away from her. But she was the only one who could neutralize the fleet, and the only one who had any chance of ultimately surviving the blast it would take to do it. 

Daisy allowed herself a split second to wish they'd stopped to drag her away. Or to imagine that somehow she'd actually make it through this. Anything other than freezing to death, as she'd recently predicted, in the dark void of space. What could she do with the future ahead? Get to know her sister and carve out a new path at S.H.I.E.L.D., certainly. For the rest - it was like seeing your life flash before your eyes before death, except it was endless possibilities for the life she just might still have. Somewhere in the dancing thoughts was the idea that she might even someday marry that adorably ridiculous man who wouldn't leave her side.

She blinked, and Mack and Coulson were gone. There was one job left: give them enough time to get out of range before blasting Nathaniel Malick and every last scrap of the fleet to hell.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is largely set immediately after Without Fail. If you haven't read it, we're about 2 weeks after the S7 finale, and our heroes have just said 'I love you" and slept together.

Daisy, for most of her life, had lived in the past - her own past. Her obsession with finding her family and the truth behind the secrets of her birth drove all the formative choices of her life. From learning to hack so she could dig up her birth records, to joining S.H.I.E.L.D. to learn more - it was all about digging up the past. Even when she'd followed Raina into the Kree city and unlocked her powers, she'd only gone down to stop the other woman. To try to bury the past so it couldn't harm anyone else.

Since then, Daisy had existed entirely in the present - even when she was traveling back and forth in time. She focused on each mission as it came. There was no point to looking further. The only thing she wanted out of the future was precisely what she had in the present: time with her family, doing good in the world. The future always held the threat that it might take some part of that away, so it wasn't worth thinking about. As long as she was part of S.H.I.E.L.D. where she belonged, her mission was her life, and her life was good.

Daisy hadn't looked towards the future in a long time, until Daniel came into the picture. Since then, she was, at different moments, afraid who else might not be in it (fear courtesy of Enoch's prophecy), hopeful that he might want a future together, and anxious that she was just a convenient guide to cling to when the team ripped him from his time.

Daniel spent most of his life feeling disconnected. His early childhood had an idyllic glow of midwest American sunshine, but the stock market crashed and the crops began to fail by the time he was ten. His parents did their best to shield him from the worst, but he grew into adulthood understanding that mere chance was all that stood between anyone and the safety and stability the generation before him had taken for granted.

And sure enough, America entered the war in '41. He joined up, and spent the following three years disconnected from his home, from normal life, even from humanity itself. When he came home with his life, and without his left leg, other people disconnected themselves from him. Nobody wanted a visible reminder of what the war cost them all. Nobody wanted to feel guilty that the war took more from some than from others. Even among other vets at the SSR, where at least he felt satisfied with his life protecting people, he had to fight to prove his value.

Which he did. But that came with the consequence of promotions. Which, in turn, simultaneously removed him from the field - where he always felt he was at his best - and took up the time he might have had to forge connections outside the office. 

It had been a long time since Daniel felt like there could be more to his life than doing the right thing. Then Daisy dropped herself at his desk, with her sharp banter and unparalleled selflessness. It gave your life a different kind of meaning to dedicate yourself to a living person, and not just a disembodied cause, however noble.

With the Chronicoms defeated and Daisy in recovery, the man out of time and Quake began the subtle shift from teammates with a crush to partners building a relationship. Idle flashes of indistinct, fantasy futures subsumed under their exploration of concrete plans for the near future.

****

Daniel passed a flower shop near the Metro station on his way back to the safehouse from HQ. They'd made dinner plans for this evening, right when they'd first woken up. Together. In her bed. 

He'd never had a first date _after_ sleeping with a woman. Or been on a date in the 21st century at all. Were flowers still a thing? He entered the shop to browse.

Well, obviously flowers were still a thing. But were they appropriate for a first date? He found a bouquet that prominently featured daisies. Too on the nose - he could only imagine how many dates must have brought her daisies before. _Hmm, maybe not._ He reconsidered what he knew about her life story, and concluded that she hadn't made room for casual dating. That was easier when S.H.I.E.L.D. used to base its agents in regional offices, not on airplanes. 

Still, daisies seemed too obvious. Daniel wanted to earn a bemused smile, not an eye roll. Roses seemed too ostentatious. Daniel happened upon a promising bucket of single flower stems, and found an eye-catching orange daffodil. Simple and vibrant. Perfect. He paid for his prize and headed back for a shower.

****

Daisy towel dried her hair after her post-workout shower. Her time in the gym felt liberating, giving her the chance to enjoy movement without any pain or restriction on her range of motion. _Like sleeping with Daniel_ , she recalled with satisfaction.

Now, she had a more daunting task ahead of her. She stared at her closet and wondered about appropriate attire for a first date with a man from 1955. 

_Hmm, 1955._

Vintage wasn't usually her thing, but Sousa was exactly the kind of sap who would notice and remember what she'd been wearing when they first met. So she pulled out the muted maroon dress she'd used to fit in at Area 51 and laid it on the bed to wait for her hair to dry fully. Her natural waves and a pair of boots would modernize the outfit a little.

As Daisy applied her makeup, she was surprised to realize how nervous she was. Which was stupid, honestly. The man had followed her through time, helped her without question no matter how absurd or dangerous her request, spent several nights sleeping awkwardly in chairs to stay at her side, told her he loved her, and committed to a deep space mission nearly a year away. And they'd already slept together. 

What was even left to be nervous about?

****

Showered, dressed, and armed with the daffodil, Daniel knocked on Daisy's door at exactly 18:00. Daisy, dressed, primped, and waiting anxiously on her couch, rose swiftly to open the door. Daniel smiled, realizing she must have been waiting for him. When she emerged from behind it, he had to chuckle.

"Hey, you were wearing that when you infiltrated my base and locked me in my own holding cell," he accused.

She scoffed. "And when I pulled you off that train where you were outnumbered like, a gajillion to one."

Daniel handed the flower over in surrender. She was startled by the offering, momentarily wrong-footed. _What do I do with it? Was I supposed to get something for him?_ But it was still charming and thoughtful, a colorful gift to make her smile. She cast around the living area, trying to figure out what to do with it before setting it down with an awkward word of thanks.

"Shall we?" she said, reappearing at the door. 

Daniel stepped aside. She fell into place beside him, but wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. They'd taken walks most evenings where she leaned on him for support when she was in recovery, but they hadn't _gone out_ together yet. Take his hand? Reach around his waist? She fell back on wit: "I'd say you scrub up nice, Sousa, but I don't think I've ever seen you dressed down."

They exited the front door, and he considered their choice of activities the previous night. He thought about disagreeing with her, but it didn't seem polite. Daisy sensed the drift of his thoughts, and seized the chance to advocate for an easier way to spend the evening. "We could skip dinner. Turn around… dress down. Order in later." She turned in towards him with a winsome look. "I don't know if I'm really the 'let's go on a date' type.'"

Daniel thought about Daisy's awkwardness with the flower, and noted that she wasn't entirely meeting his eye now. He realized that she was nervous.

"I'm hungry," he said gently with a shake of his head, placing his arms around her waist. He dipped his head down to give her a kiss that demonstrated how tempting he found her suggestion. He trailed his lips along her jawline, and spoke quietly into her ear. "And I would love to repeat last night." 

He drew his head back slowly and rubbed her arms, careful not to broadcast rejection with his body language. "But later. I've been looking forward to talking to you all day. It's a nice night. We can skip the restaurant, if you want. Grab some takeout and a park bench. What do you think?"

Daisy realized that Sousa wasn't expecting a sophisticated dinner companion who understood 1950s dating etiquette. Laughing quietly at herself, she grabbed Daniel's hand, and drew him down the front steps.

"It's not like I haven't had relationships before," she explained, her tone light. "But I think I psyched myself out. I don't remember the last time I was actually on a date. Let alone a first date."

Daniel folded her arm in his, earning another look of confused surprise, but she leaned into his side.

"Seven years," he said as they walked forward down the street.

"Since your last first date?" Daisy guessed.

"No," he admitted. "Since I… what we… last night…" He tried different ways of saying it, rapid fire, without finding something that sounded appropriate. He was hoping to make her feel more comfortable if he owned up to his share of awkwardness. He was not expecting her dazzling smile in return for his confession.

Daisy was amazed by Daniel's openness with her - not only in his honesty now, but in his trust in her the previous night. At the time, they'd each shared that it had been awhile, but he hadn't been this specific. 

"Okay, so we're both a little rusty at this." She stopped as they came to a corner, and turned towards him again.

"We just have to work the kinks out," he assured her, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

Daisy snickered at him, delighted by how much some words changed - and how little Sousa was aware of it.

"What? Does that mean something different now?"

"Nevermind," she replied. Daniel was starting to think she was deliberately withholding information from him for her own amusement. Which, of course, she was.

 _God, I love this woman._ "What I mean," he forged on, "is this works, and we'll figure it out. Together."

"Is that a promise, Danny boy?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I love you, you love me, and we've got a mission to prep for. It's not rocket science."

"It's a space mission. Lots of it is rocket science," she countered with a raised eyebrow.

"So we get a rocket scientist for the team. But you and me? Like you said. It's simple."

They grinned at each other, and leaned in to share a kiss. Eventually, they would remember that they were hungry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! This chapter is primarily set after Sousa and Steve Rogers' lunch in Men Out of Time. If you haven't read it, all you need to know to follow along here is that Steve asked Sousa if he wants to marry Daisy. 
> 
> See notes at the end for comments on SWORD. Spoiler warning for the note (not the chapter): Wandavision ep 4.

For once in their lives, nearly all Daisy and Daniel thought about was the future, and building new connections to other people. Neither of them had ever been involved in a mission requiring as much preparation and training as this one.

Together, they evaluated candidates and recruited agents to crew Zephyr Three for deep space exploration. Daisy helped Kora explore her powers, attended endless subcommittee hearings with Mack, and logged hours in the flight simulator at HQ. Daniel had to catch up on 65 years of history and technology and find ways to enjoy the 21st century. As the new S.W.O.R.D. team began to take shape, and take up residence in the safehouse with Daisy and Daniel, their focus shifted to training and bonding.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were highly trained in a variety of scientific, technological, and operational skills. Many had experience with Chitauri tech. Some had experience with Kree or Shrike biology. But very few had experience with space flight, space walks, moving in zero gravity, or with more extensive alien cultures, biology, or environments. 

Simmons offered a series of remote lectures. (Fitz had ostensibly sworn off professional S.H.I.E.L.D. involvement entirely, but Daisy occasionally suspected she could detect his input on Simmons' presentations.) Records of all known alien interactions were required reading. The team took short trips into orbit at first, and eventually to other planets in the solar system, to train for various emergency and routine scenarios they might face in deep space.

As the months marched on, Daisy and Daniel melded their lives together bit by bit. They never discussed moving in together, but his things gradually migrated into her unit until his was eventually emptied for a new team member. Daniel put the coffee on every morning - an act of self-preservation to spare him from her morning crankiness. Or so he joked. Daisy helped him care for the skin on his residual limb twice a day - it was easier for her to see. 

They sparred when they itched for action (prolonged prep time wore on them both), and jumped at the occasional chance for field missions that came their way. In quieter moments, they discussed each other's strengths and weaknesses as leaders, forming their bond as first and second in command.

Every day, in a hundred little moments and choices, Daisy and Daniel supported each other, soothed each other, inspired each other. They talked of their time ahead in space with ease, understanding that they would be together through it all. If they never talked about what would happen afterwards (and they didn't), it was mostly because agents lived mission to mission, and planning for their future didn't come naturally to either of them.

****

Daniel felt unusually unsettled after his lunch with Rogers. Rather than heading straight back to HQ or the safehouse, he slipped into a nearby cafe for a cup of coffee to clear his head.

 _Simple_. Steve's word echoed in Daniel's mind as he waited in line. 

_I do miss how simple some things used to be._ Steve could have rose-colored glasses when it came to the past. Things weren't necessarily all that simple back then. Not if your relationships didn't fit a certain mold - and many didn't. But if they did, well, every era had its own conventions. Maybe straightforward was a better word for it. There were certain expectations. The conventions changed after the war, but not the expectations. Fall in love with a girl, propose, and if she says yes - marriage and family. And it didn't tend to take years, as was usually the case today. 

As Daniel considered some of the marriages he'd heard discussed in the bullpen, he wondered how many happy relationships the old system had produced.

 _Simple - it's the only kind of love worth the risk, Danny boy_. Daisy's words would stick with him forever. Conventions and expectations of any decade be damned, she was all that mattered. 

Two circumstances conspired to push Daniel to say something terribly awkward to the barista. For one, he was the last in line - the lunch rush was ending. For another, she wore a wedding band. So instead of his order, he blurted out, "Would you mind telling me how you got engaged?"

The barista gave him a level look.

"I'm sorry. Medium black coffee, please." He ordered the same thing at any coffee shop, whether or not it appeared as stated on the menu. It was the order most likely to produce recognizable results.

She keyed in his order and took his payment wordlessly. Daniel had been rude to ask such a personal question, and he felt compelled to explain. "I don't really know how to talk to my girlfriend about… all that." _She and I have entirely different frames of reference for marriage._ "But I want to."

Her face softened. "Aren't you sweet?" she said with a smile. "I'll let you in on a little secret. These are fake." She lifted up her hand, indicating the rings with a conspiratorial wink. "Fewer creeps hit on me when I wear them."

"Clever," he commented. "Thanks, anyway."

When he settled into a corner seat with his coffee, he considered other avenues of research about 21st century conventions that might yield better results than accosting strangers. Mack was always good for sage advice, but Daniel didn't like the idea of their boss knowing more about his thoughts on their relationship than Daisy herself. The internet could provide him some insight from a variety of perspectives, but Daisy always seemed to know what he was looking at online.

_It should be noted, dear reader, that Daisy respects Daniel's digital privacy, but Daniel often leaves his laptop and his browser sessions open, and rarely closes any tabs._

At last, Daniel concluded that the best course of action would be to ask his VA support group. Thanks to a discreet phone call from Rogers, he had been able to share his actual time-hopping life story with the group (the non-classified parts), and they believed him. They could help him understand how people these days went about discussing the future. You know, beyond the next mission. 

****

"Can I ask you a question?" Daisy asked, dodging May's right hook.

"If you have to. Can't guarantee I'll answer. Don't get much of a choice these days with students." May held back, watching Daisy's movements closely.

Daisy tried to land a roundhouse and failed, but made contact with a quick jab after. "How do you actually plan ahead? Like, for a future."

They continued to exchange blows as they talked. Neither woman held back, exactly. But they gave themselves the space to have the conversation as they sparred.

"Have an exit strategy ready in case you need to leave S.H.I.E.L.D." May landed Daisy on her back. "If you don't already," she added as she extended her hand. "And have someone on the outside to call if things go south."

Daisy caught the distinction between what might drive an individual agent to run, and a bigger problem. She had, after all, encountered both scenarios before. "Who - " Daisy started, wondering who May had called when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell.

"My mother. And she won't let me live it down."

The older woman went on the offensive again, demonstrating her unwillingness to entertain questions about her mother.

"That's not what I was going for. I mean, thanks, that's still good advice." Daisy grunted through a few maneuvers, struggling to find the right words for her question. "You were married."

May's eyes widened the tiniest fraction and she left a small opening in her defense. Daisy landed a kick behind her knees, taking advantage of the opening reflexively. May gave into the momentum and rolled away even as she landed on her back. "You and Sousa talking marriage, now?" She said as she righted herself.

"What? No! Why would you - no."

"I read emotions. Not minds. You're going to have to give me more to go on here."

Daisy tapped out of the fight, needing to focus on her explanation. She sat on a bench, grabbing a towel and her water bottle. Sparring with May was always a rough workout.

"I've never had so much down time between missions. I'm not used to it," she tried again. "It was one thing after another for so long. And that was great, and all," Daisy paused. "But things weren't like that for you when you were married. You had an actual life between missions, with like, vacations, and I don't know - dinner at six and visits to your mom or whatever." It still sounded like she was talking about marriage. And maybe she was - a little. But that wasn't it, not entirely. "Okay, and now, you've got a new role in S.H.I.E.L.D. And you weren't just ordered to teach at the academy. That's what you decided to do." May sat next to her, listening intently to Daisy working through her thoughts. "How do you do _that_? How do you build a life that isn't just the next mission?"

"You want more," May summarized with characteristic succinctness.

"Yeah, I kinda do," Daisy agreed. "No, I mean, I really do."

"You decide what you want, and you go get it."

"That simple, huh?" Daisy asked wryly.

"That depends on whether or not you know what you want." May rose and headed for the door. She turned back, adding "At least for the people _I've_ trained. The 'go out and get it' part shouldn't be the problem."

Daisy hit the showers, and let the hot water and steam clear her head so she could consider what she wanted. 

A lot of what Daisy wanted was the same thing she'd always wanted since committing to the team on the Bus: time with her family, and the chance to do some good in the world. Protect each other, protect others. 

Her family had changed. They weren't her team anymore - not most of them. She didn't get time with them on missions anymore, except for Kora and Sousa. If she wanted to see them, she had to make it happen. _Okay, that's one thing I want that I can have between missions. What else?_

She sure as hell did not have professional aspirations to join the top brass at S.H.I.E.L.D. At least not in any positions that put her in front of so many politicians again. Doing the PR work to get S.W.O.R.D. on the books might be a highlight on her record someday, but it wouldn't make her personal greatest hits list. But she was trying on leadership for size, again - this time, without the personal stakes that had driven her to be a "hard ass," as Deke had put it the last time she'd been in charge. The jury was still out on how it was going now. It felt promising, at least.

Daisy had to be honest with herself about why she'd chosen to talk to May, not Coulson, about this. About why she'd framed the discussion around May's personal life. And the fact of the matter was that she was definitely considering marriage. May had chosen to try to balance marriage and S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson hadn't.

Shutting off the faucet and reaching for a towel, Daisy thought through her major concerns about marriage. She wasn't really sure if she was cut out for it. She'd had an extended parade of role models as a kid - almost every last one of them bad. She wanted a future with Daniel. Absolutely, no question. Marriage didn't necessarily have to be it. 

And that, she realized, was why she'd gone to May, and not to Jemma. Not that Jemma wouldn't be honest with her about the challenges of marriage. But she had no idea what it was like to want it, and to work at it - and to have it fall down around you, no matter how hard you tried.

Which definitely seemed like Daisy's style.

Daisy went hunting around the locker room to see if she could still catch May alone. She managed to find her mentor headed towards the door, nobody else in sight.

"Hey, May," Daisy called.

"Yeah?"

"Marrying Andrew. Was it worth trying, even though it didn't work out?"

May stared at her for a moment. Daisy couldn't tell if May was trying to read her emotions, or to decide how to answer, or even whether to answer at all. After a pause that left Daisy tense with anticipation, May spoke. "It was." She nodded, and slipped out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote Without Fail before Wandavision premiered, and we learned the identify of SWORD's founder. I 100% respect the story choice there! I already had Mack and Daisy founding it through SHIELD in Without Fail, so I guess I'm a little AU here in my story world now. C'est la MCU.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after "Like a Kid on Christmas."

Daniel rubbed his hands together in anticipation, then slid a fresh sheet of paper into his new typewriter. He wiggled his fingers with glee before setting them on the keys. And suddenly drew a blank. He wrote a few nonsense lines to indulge in the feel of the keystrokes and the nostalgia for the whine of the mechanics as each line reset. But the only words taking shape in his head were for the love letter he'd just promised Daisy.

And so he dug around his drawers in their bunk for the pack of stationery he hadn't found a reason to touch since leaving the postal service behind on Earth. The bunk he shared with Daisy, while exceptionally large by his WWII standards, didn't have room for a desk. So he made do with his copy of _Cosmos_ for a writing surface and settled in the bed to put pen to paper.

What he wrote wasn't exactly the love letter he'd first envisioned.

His VA support group had given him some very good advice on approaching the idea of marriage with Daisy. Advice that brought up uncomfortable memories of Violet. He'd made his peace with their botched engagement years ago. But if he'd had some of their advice back then, he might never have put her in the painful position of breaking it off, because he never would have proposed in the first place.

 _Proposals should never be a surprise. Talk about what you want for your life together._

Daniel had cast Violet in the supporting role of his wife in Company Man Settles Down. He'd indulged vague fantasies of white picket fences, rambunctious kids, and family dinners. The pretty blonde nurse who'd helped him feel like himself again slotted nicely into his vision of hearth and home. But it was a flat postcard image of somebody else's idealized life. He'd never even asked what she really wanted for her own future.

None of the advice from the support group was all that stunning to Daniel, in retrospect. He'd expected, before he asked, that maybe a few conventions had changed since the '50s. Understand those, he'd thought, and he'd know how and when to approach Daisy. Something like "proposals are allowed after a year and a half, and it's sexist to ask for her father's permission first." But it was much simpler, and far more complicated than that.

 _What do you both want in a marriage?_

And so Daniel sat and wrote page after page about the life he hoped he might be able to share with Daisy.

****

Zephyr Three was in space for less than a week before they encountered their first crisis. They hadn't even encountered any aliens yet, just a garden variety spatial phenomenon.

It shappened between heartbeats. A bulkhead blew. Daniel scrambled to pull a crew member from harm's way. Steam filled the hallway. He couldn't see the metal sheeting descending from above. Daisy could.

"Daniel, look out!" she screamed. But she was too late to alert him - too late, even, to quake the danger away.

****

"This was in his pocket," Dr. Jimenez said, handing Daisy a bloodstained envelope with her name written in large lettering.

"Thanks," Daisy said as she took it and situated herself in a chair near the healing chamber. 

She looked back and forth between Sousa's sleeping face and the envelope in her hand, debating whether or not to open it. 

It hurt, seeing him in the chamber and unconscious. Needles pricked up and down her spine whenever she looked at him. Logically, Daisy knew he was going to be fine. But from the other side of the glass, with his right leg and side covered in bandages, he seemed remote and fragile - so unlike himself. 

The shape of the letter was vaguely familiar. Daisy realized she'd seen its outline in his pocket for the past two days. It had barely registered with her before. He must have been holding off on giving her this letter. Why?

She looked back to him, briefly, and looked down again.

Sousa had very nearly ordered her out of the medical bay when she'd first dragged him in here. Nothing short of her duty to command the  
crew through the crisis would have ripped her away from him before, and now she couldn't even bear to look at him.

Daniel's note beckoned. Daisy tore the envelope open with an apology. "I'm, sorry. I'm not you, okay? I can't just sit here and watch you lay there in that thing like you did when it was me."

She recognized the stationery from the letters she'd seen Sousa write to the team before they set out on Z3. Old fashioned stuff that she never really saw anybody else use. Plain and unlined, but thicker, darker, and smaller than regular printer paper. And just crammed with his handwriting - front and back, six pages of it.

If she'd thought that "love letter" was code for 1950s sexting, she would've been wrong. She hadn't, though - not really. (But she had teased him about it a few times.) She _had_ been expecting something flowery, or at least sappy. The former wasn't Sousa's style, but the latter could be. But she'd been wrong about that, too.

It wasn't even a love letter, exactly. 

It was hope. It was life - theirs, possibly, in perfect, painful, mundane detail. By the time Daisy reached the last page, tears were pouring down her face.

_...Maybe the first week of a deep space mission isn't the best time to bring this up. If you don't like what I have to say, well, you're stuck with my ugly mug around the ship for awhile. But at least all the people who threatened me with grievous bodily harm if I screw things up with you are literally light years away by now. So I've got that going for me._

_Right now, I love the journey together with you. Wherever it takes us. Even if the aliens we meet won't be as cute as ET. When you're ready, I would love to listen to what you want in our future. If you want._

_I love you._

_Love,_

_Daniel_

Daisy leaned forward, covering her face with her hands and letting the tears fall. Eventually, her mind shut down against the fear and the adrenaline crash, and pulled her into sleep.

****

Daisy was awakened sometime hours later by the familiar click and whoosh of the healing chamber opening

"Stop. Thief," Daniel deadpanned as he saw his letter in her lap. Not the best timing for this discussion, but the cat was out of the bag now. 

Daniel hoisted himself into a sitting position, and his heart raced as he registered that he still had his right leg. The injury hadn't been _that_ bad, he knew. But it was the bloodiest he'd been since Bostogne, and the fear kicked in automatically. 

"It had _my_ name on it," Daisy objected, frozen to her chair, as if moving would turn Sousa into an illusion.

"A little flesh wound is all it takes for you to rifle through my pockets for loose change?" he taunted. To Daisy, he sounded groggy and weak, but it was as much a relief to hear him bantering as it was to see him sitting up.

Daniel lowered himself off the bed, and Daisy blinked in surprise as she handed him his crutch. She assumed he'd be a better patient than she was, after all the time he'd spent chasing after her to rest or whatever. But Daniel preferred to discuss the contents of his letter at the same level. So he grabbed a chair and swung himself around to sit facing her.

"So you read my letter," he prompted.

Daisy suppressed a smile, thinking of a conversation he didn't remember that involved a similar interrogation setup. "Yeah, I don't think pets are a great fit for this lifestyle," she stated with a look of mock seriousness.

"And the rest of it?" Daniel could read her sarcasm at hundred paces, but he needed to be completely clear about her response.

"Open to negotiation," Daisy replied.

"Just like that? I mean, movie nights are a given. But you did see that part where I said I want to marry you, right?"

"Wait, where was that - page 3? 5? 35? When you promised me a love letter, I didn't think you'd write a novel." Her eyes glinted through her exaggerated confusion, and she finished with a wide smile that left Sousa without any doubt that she was in agreement about their future.

"I wasn't so sure you'd want to marry anyone. I know it hasn't been a big part of your life." He leaned forward as he explained, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I don't want to marry anyone. I want to marry _you_." Daisy tried to leave it at that, but Daniel waited, unmoving. "Look, you're right. I haven't always pictured myself as some perfect wife with a devoted husband. Most of my foster parents were married, and it wasn't always pretty. That doesn't really give a girl the warm and fuzzies."

Daisy paused and let herself sit with her feelings about the toxic homes she'd bounced between. Daniel could guess some of the memories coming to mind - she'd shared stories before. He reached out to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb along her skin in soothing strokes. She leaned into the touch, and reached for his fingers. Their joined hands fell to rest on her knee.

"But there was this one family. When I was nine. They were kind. Good to each other, and good to me. Fun, even. I thought maybe… I tried calling the wife 'mom' once." Daisy swallowed a surge of anger as she realized that the only other person she'd told about this family was freaking _Ward_ , of all people. "I spent years thinking they rejected me. And that hurt more than when anyone else sent me away, because I thought they were good people. When I learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. had me bounced around on purpose, to hide me from my birth parents after they went on a long spree, I don't think I connected the dots at first. But I wonder if maybe that family really wanted me after all." 

Daisy bit her lip, chewing on the possibilities.

"So that, like, two minutes of feeling like I had a family with a home and married parents and some of that _Leave it to Beaver_ stuff… I could want that. With the right person." She smiled. "I do want that. With you. I'm loving this journey together, just like you said. And I don't want it to end."

They sat in comfortable quiet, absorbing everything they'd shared.

Eventually, Sousa broke the silence. "I have questions. Am I supposed to ask someone's permission before I propose? And who? Or is that a bad thing now? And can you even wear a ring with your pow - "

"Sousa," Daisy interrupted, "you should be resting."

With a wry grin and a lingering kiss to her cheek, Daniel hoisted himself back onto the healing chamber bed. Daisy settled back into her chair, propping her feet up on the seat Sousa abandoned. It would be an uncomfortable night for them both, but they savored it as a small step on their journey together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to redvanillabee, whose lovely "With You I Serve, With You I Fall" inspired the healing chamber role reversal.
> 
> I thought I might go a little more in depth than I did with the action that put Sousa in the healing chamber, which is why I tagged this "graphic violence," and now I can't seem it get rid of that warning. But don't worry, I'm not about to kill anyone off in the epilogue or anything.


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A final shout out to the absolutely amazing royalmilktea, who has beta'd this entire series. ❤️ I owe her a Boy Scout ficlet featuring a young Steve and Daniel, which is still percolating in my brain. Other than that, this is pretty much the end of my little Without Fail saga. Thank you to everyone for reading along! ❤️🙂

The one debate Daisy and Daniel didn't settle before they married was whether or not they would have kids. It wasn't that they disagreed, and each hoped that the other would cave in. No - they wouldn't do that to each other. They both liked the idea of having kids in theory. Most of the time. But neither of them could settle on when, or if, they'd give up field work to do it. Or even if they might give up S.H.I.E.L.D. altogether. Or if, maybe, they couldn't give any of it up and wouldn't risk having a child who lost a parent.

Some days, Daisy wanted it all. And on those days, Daniel was determined to support her, and find a way to make it work. 

Some days, Daniel was afraid that even the risk of a desk job at S.H.I.E.L.D. was too much. And on those days, Daisy tried to remind him that either of them could die from an accident or illness at any time, no matter how impressed he was with modern medicine. Except for the days that Daisy agreed - thinking of Mike Peterson and Ace, or the terrifying possibility of leaving behind an orphan to grow up like she did. Those were the worst days.

The days became months, and years, as they always do - no matter how often Daisy and Daniel might travel in time. And they came no closer to choosing the right time to have a baby, and no closer to giving up on the thought of starting a family.

Until one day, they were sent to deal with an 084.

When Daisy walked out of the rubble with a baby in her arms, they both knew that there was nothing left to debate.


End file.
